I made a covenant with mine eyes; why then should I think upon a maid?
Job 31:1
I've spoken on this verse before. But it's on my mind again. Today I want to look into 'Why then?"
Satan seeks to insert dissatisfaction into the minds of spouses. His aim is to break up couples and families, and he starts with dissatisfaction. This grows into frustration, annoyance, and then disaffection. After that, spouses wonder why they made the mistake of marrying this person in the first place.
How do we stop that? Our eyes and minds obey our disciplines of love. If our disciplines of love are loose and carefree, our eyes and mind will look at and think anything they want. If those disciplines are strong and our love as deep as it should be, our eyes and minds will remain within those bounds.
So we ask the question, was the covenant Job made with his eyes a sub-clause of the marriage covenant he made with his wife? Or was it separate and specific, entered into due to Job's personal desire to remain mind-pure in the relationship?
Strong's concordance H1285 interprets a covenant as an alliance, giving the interpretation of a blood cutting, as in a blood bond. A vow is different from a covenant in that it is a promise as if set in concrete. When we marry, we make both a covenant and a vow. We promise to make a holy alliance before God.
So are we traitorous to the relationship if our eyes wander and our mind imagines someone else other than our spouse?
Hebrews 13:4 says, "Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge." For the marriage to be undefiled, both minds in that relationship need to be maritally innocent. Our thoughts are to be only on our spouse. Job knew that his mind was subject to eternal observation from God, as are ours. But, I feel he also had a deep understanding of what God wants out of a marriage covenant.
Matthew 5:28, shows Jesus supporting Job's vow as if He had written it himself. "But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart." It's identical to Job's statement.
This brings us to the question of "why then?"
Some men and women say they cannot help looking or thinking about others, just like the Apostle Paul said when he found himself doing what he didn't want to do. (Romans 7:15 NLT). I don't really think that is a reason. Otherwise, God's desire for us of overcoming lust is a myth. (Revelation 1-3). Paul had changed by the time he died. When Paul had completed his spiritual course, he had kept the faith of his mind and eyes. There was nothing he regretted. No perversions.
If Job can make a covenant with his eyes and mind, why can't we? More to the point, why shouldn't we? Purity is the target for our eyes and minds.
The problem of "why then?" involves covetousness—the thought or feeling that we might be missing out on something, or we could do better, if only for a night or day. We're perhaps dissatisfied with what we've been given by God. What do we wish for in another person that we think we don't have now? A person's intellect? Spiritual understanding? Nice body? Great abs, cute looks or great legs? Personality? The money they have?
What ticks over in the mind when we think we're doing it in secret?
Considering these questions, we better understand why God tied the word covetous together with whoremonger in this verse. "For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God." Ephesians 5:5
Volumes have been written on this topic of straying eyes and minds, and many excuses made, but Job's simple statement needs no further expounding, as testified by Jesus himself.
The straying of the eyes and unholy adventures of the mind are personal issues requiring personal attention. We can't blame others for the way they dress or act, or what's on TV. It is more a matter of our desires not being high enough in Christ.
We can use our eyes as lookouts for lust, or we can ensure they are the windows that show the wonders of Christ within our relationship.
Today's prayer: Dear Lord, my eyes and mind have been involved in things they shouldn't. Please help me put on the mind of Christ within my relationship, which is exampled in Job's verse.
Photo by Matheus Ferrero
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